Security systems use a variety of sensors for detecting intrusions into a secured area. Some of the commonly used sensors include motion detectors, heat sensors, shock sensors, and door and window contact sensors. These sensors in combination can provide very good security against intrusion.
Security systems monitor sensors to determine the presence of people within a protected space. If the security system detects a breach of the protected space it will respond based on the arming state of the security system. Possible security system states include “Disarmed”, “Armed Stay”, and “Armed Away”. If the system is set to “Disarmed” it will not alarm to perimeter or interior sensors. If the security system is set to “Armed Stay” the security system will sound an alarm at the occurrence of a breach of the perimeter sensors, but not to a breach of the interior sensors. If the system is set to “Armed Away” it will alarm to a breach of the perimeter or interior sensors. The state of the system is determined by the needs of the occupants of the premises. If all of the occupants are leaving the premises then the security system should be set to “Armed Away”. If the occupants will be staying within the premises for an extended period of time then the security system should be set to “Armed Stay”. For all other scenarios the security system should be set to “Disarmed”.
Problems arise when the security system is not properly armed or disarmed. Typical problems include not setting the security system upon entry to “Disarmed” before the alarm sounds, setting the security system to “Armed Away” when occupants plan to stay within the protected space, not setting the security system to “Armed Away” when the premises are un-occupied, and not disarming the system when the security system is set to “Armed Stay” before a window or door is opened. Consequently, the security system incorrectly detects this action as an indication of an intrusion and sounds an alarm or notifies a monitoring station or police department.
These are user created problems and as such, it is desirable to provide a security system that assists the end user with the arming and disarming operations. Specifically, an object of the present invention is providing a security system that does not sound an alarm if an occupant opens a window or door from within the protected space when the security system is set to the “Armed Stay” mode. This is a common occurrence as the occupants of a protected space may open a window for fresh air or open a door to let a pet out without disarming the system first.